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Singapore-style wokked crab

Including a recipe for smoked chilli sambal and tomato relish, this Singapore crab recipe will leave you with plenty of goodies to use in future dishes. Chef Anna Hansen is a fan of Singaporean food, in her words:

'This recipe has been evolving since The Modern Pantry opened. Every time I cook it, the wonderful aromas transport me back to happy memories of eating glorious Singaporean food, and although I am certain it is far from authentic it seems to have the same impact on many of our diners. At the restaurant, we serve it with coconut rice and pickled lotus root. Be sure to supply plenty of bibs and fingerbowls when serving!'

Equipment

Food processor

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Method

Before making the dish, you will need to make the chilli sambal and tomato relish. To make the sambal, preheat a deep-fryer (of large, deep pan) to 180°C

rapeseed oil, for deep frying

2

In separate batches, deep-fry the tomatoes, peppers and onions until deeply golden, almost to the point of being burnt. After each ingredient is ready, drain on kitchen paper before adding to a large mixing bowl. Once cooked, deep-fry the garlic and ginger separately until lightly golden, drain, then add to the large bowl

Add a spoonful of the cooking oil to a pan and fry off the dried shrimps until aromatic. Add to the bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. In batches, add the sambal mix to a blender and blitz until almost smooth, then empty into a clean bowl. Once all of the mix has been processed, stir well until well-combined and place in an airtight container. Keep in the fridge until required (it will keep for several months in the fridge)

For the tomato relish, add the oil to a heavy-based pan and place over a medium heat. Once hot, add the spices, ginger and chillies and fry until the spices are aromatic and begin to crackle in the pan. Stir in the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and skim away any frothy scum that rises to the surface

Turn the heat down and cook on a gentle simmer for approximately 40 minutes, until thickened and glossy. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before storing in sterilised jars. Alternatively, keep the relish in an airtight container in the fridge

6

Place the crabs in the freezer for 2 hours before cooking - this will render them insensate

Bring the water to a rolling boil, add the crabs and return to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a further 20 minutes

9

Once cooked, pour the crabs and water into a clean sink to drain, then refresh with cold tap water to halt the cooking process and clean the crabs

10

When the crabs have cooled completely, delicately twist off the claws and very gently crack them - you need to be careful when doing this as too forceful a breakage will mean more bits of shell in your final dish

11

Place the crab on its back and remove the pointy flap in the middle of the belly. Grasp the body of the crab with one hand, and use the other hand to pull away the head. Discard the 'dead man's fingers' and stomach sac, which is located behind the mouth. Keeping the legs attached, cut the body of the crab into quarters. Reserve the heads until later

12

To make the frying paste, simply place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste

Add the reserved head and shells of the crab to the oven. Meanwhile, add a dash of oil to a large wok and stir in the frying paste, cooking out for a couple of minutes. Stir in the crab pieces, in 2 batches if you wok isn't very big, and cook through for 5 minutes, tossing the crab to coat evenly in the paste

16

Stir in the sauce and the light fish stock to finish, then cook out until the sauce is slightly reduced. To serve, divide the crab between 2 sharing bowls, placing the head shells on top to decorate. Sprinkle over the Thai basil, chilli, spring onion and coriander, and serve immediately

Whether you call it 'fusion', 'global' or 'basically indescribable' is beside the point; Anna Hansen's food is without a doubt fresh and adventurous - you might even call it modern.

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